Montana Christmas 2019

We love skiing in Montana.

Being among the snow-powdered pines is just like living in a Christmas card, as my mother used to say.

As a child, our family spent Christmas every year at home in sunny Westminster, California, and I cherish those memories.

When we first accepted the invitation from my sister Darlene's family to spend Christmas with them in the majestic Rocky Mountains, we didn't realize it would become a beloved family tradition, but it has.

Because of the distance, our kids who now live on the Eastern Seaboard now come less frequently for Christmas, but Jay joined us on many of the arduous 18-hour drives through challenging road conditions.

In his first year as a husband, Jay and his lovely bride Sasha drove up in the Range Rover, arriving a few days after us and then becoming our designated driver for trips to the ski hill for the duration.

Once again, the holidays were magical, with lots of terrific runs through different types of snow. 

Each day unfolded differently, with packed powder the first day that didn't loosen up until the midday sun had warmed it the first day, six inches of fresh powder on packed powder when we returned after a three days hiatus, sunny days that had me sweating with all the giant slalom turns in great visibility and then back to fresh snow.

Jay and Sasha love the powder between the trees, which is not my fun place, while Julie and I like to race down the groomers.  They did several runs with us, sometimes staying in the main part and other times coming out of the trees to join us taking in the panoramic views when we stopped for rests part way down the long runs.

Because they spend much of the winter living on an amazing ski slope in Big Sky, Darlene's family tends to only come out when excellent visibility meets fresh powder, but we had several great runs with them too.  My nephew Brooks and I had several afternoon runs together, with him darting through trees or out of bounds and then meeting me at the lift.

Apres ski, we enjoyed drinks by the fire ring on the patio outside their door, plus some delicious family meals together in Darlene's home. She made a Chateaubriand feast for Christmas dinner that was the highlight, and because dietary constraints kept us from eating all three they'd bought, we had plenty for leftovers the next day that was as good as the first meal.  Later in the week, Darlene made another meal full meal with the third Chateaubriand which she hadn't cooked yet as the main course.

We had many great meals including breakfasts in the lodge looking out at the mountainside, hamburgers at the Yurt once on the slopes, chili with tortilla chips for lunch at the Sugar Shack, and of course other tasty dinners at Darlene's and at our condo in Town Center.

There were big gift exchanges on Christmas morning, first at our place and then at Darlene's, with lots of beautiful wrapping paper ripped open to reveal thoughtful gifts.

Jay and Sasha put together a jigsaw puzzle in the evening, with me putting in a few pieces but not enough to take any credit, and we had fun learning a game called Catan, which Amy had given Julie and me for Christmas a prior year.  Jay and Sasha play it regularly at game nights.

During our first game of Catan, Amy happened to call to ask if I would have known the answers to a trivia game which they had almost won.

Amy was spending Christmas in upstate New York with her boyfriend Lukas's family and friends. 

Gina, Laszlo and Emma went to Kentucky where they could escape the brunt of the winter chill while exploring caves at a National Park and visiting the zoo.

We wish they could have been with us, but we thank God they're all healthy, prosperous and happy.

Julie and I went to the lovely log church in the Meadow on the Sunday before Christmas.

The Sunday School class put on a play of the first Christmas that put smiles on our faces and served as a good reminder of the reason for the season.